McKeel Academy ready to return to class weeks ahead of most school districts

LAKELAND, Fla. - McKeel Academy, a charter school system based in Lakeland, appears to be leading the pack. It is going to re-open on Thursday, August 6, weeks ahead of most school districts.
 
“We’re ready to go, we’re ready to get started,” Director of Schools Alan Black, told FOX 13.
 
While Polk and other school districts are wrestling with how they are going to open amid a COVID-19 pandemic, Mc Keel has its plan laid out.
 
McKeel, which serves 3,500 students in grades K through 12 at three campuses, will require
students and staffers to wear masks.  If they don’t have a mask, the school will provide one. They will also be asked to socially distance.
 
“It’s not 100 percent. I won’t tell you that,” Black explained.

But Black said social distancing will be made a little easier because 30 percent of the students won’t be in the classroom. Instead, they will be learning virtually.
 
Rather than everyone eating in the cafeteria, some students will be spread out at picnic tables outside during lunch.
 
The school hired additional people to sanitize and is providing teachers with an anti-viral cleaner to be used on desks and other items in their rooms between classes.
 

Teachers are going to try to impress on students the importance of taking COVID-19 seriously and following the safety rules.
 
“I am very confident that what we do here is going to be very safe,” Black said. “To be honest, I am a little less confident about what happens outside of school.”